Behind the New Documentary, The Empowerment Project

A new documentary on women with inspiring careers is a must-see

SARAH MOSHMAN, 27, a reality television producer, was frustrated by an industry she felt only helped further the objectification of women. She and four friends—producers Ashley Hammen, 29, and Dana Michelle Cook, 34, and filmmakers Alana Fickes, 25, and Vanessa Crocini, 31—decided women and girls deserve better role models than the Real Housewives. "As the saying goes: If you can't see it, you can't be it," Moshman says. After raising more than $28,000 on Kickstarter, the all-female film crew spent 34 days traveling the U.S. to interview 17 inspirational women, including actress Jane Lynch; mathematician Ami Radunskaya; Sandra Clifford, pilot and cofounder of Women in Aviation; and Vice Adm. Michelle Howard, the first African-American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship. "Our film is like a badass career day," says Moshman. The resulting documentary, called The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things, will start screening at schools, women's organizations, and community centers this month, and at film festivals later this year.

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